IN COVER

14 mai 2012

A letter to Lamar!

A few weeks ago I signed an online petition demanding the release of the prisoner hunger striker Khader Adnan. His arbitrary detention and the conditions in which he lived affected me deeply so decided to contribute in some manner. I also signed up to a newsletter to keep informed of the outcome of his case. The Adnan's hunger strike ends with his liberation whereas intially I did not really believe in a happy ending!

I continued to recieve newsletters until the last one early this morning with a letter written by another Palestinianhunger striker prisoner. Thaer Halahleh was writing to his only daughter, Lamar, who is almost two years old.

Below an English translation of his letter :

“My Beloved Lamar, forgive me because the
occupation took me away from you, and took away from me the pleasure of
witnessing my firstborn child that I have always prayed to God to see, to kiss,
to be happy with. It is not your fault; this is our destiny as Palestinian
people to have our lives and the lives of our children taken away from us, to
be apart from each other and to have a miserable life. Nothing is complete in
our lives because of this unjust occupation that is lurking on every corner of
our lives turning it into eeriness, a continuous pursuit and torture. Despite
the fact that I was deprived from holding you and hearing your voice, from
watching you grow up and move around in the house and in your bed, and that I
was deprived of my role as a human and a father with my daughter, your
existence has given me all the power and hope, and when I saw your picture with
your mother in the sit-in tent, you were so calm staring in wonder at people,
as if you were looking for your father, looking at my pictures that are hung
inside the tent asking in silence why is my father not coming back. I felt that
you are with me, in my sentiment and inside my mind, as if you are a part of my
heartbeats, steadfast and the blood that flows in my veins, opening all doors
for me spreading clear skies around me, and unleashing your free childish voice
after this long silence.”

“Lamar my love: I know that you are
not to be blamed and that you don’t yet understand why your father is going
through this battle of hunger strike for the 75th day, but when you grow up you
will understand that the battle of freedom is the battle of going back to you,
so that I can never be taken away from you again or to be deprived of your
smile or seeing you, so that the occupier will never kidnap me again from you.”

“When you grow up you will understand
how injustice was brought upon your father and upon thousands of Palestinians
whom the occupation has put in prisons and jail cells, shattering their lives
and future for no reason other then their pursuit of freedom, dignity and
independence. You will know that your father did not tolerate injustice and
submission, and that he would never accept insult and compromise, and that he
is going through a hunger strike to protest against the Jewish state that wants
to turn us into humiliated slaves without any rights or patriotic dignity.”

“My beloved Lamar keep your head up
always and be proud of your father, and thank everyone who supported me, who
supported the prisoners in their struggle, and don’t be afraid for God is with
us always, and God never lets down people who have faith and patience. We are
righteous, and right will always prevail against injustice and wrong doers.”

“Lamar my love: that day will come,
and I will make it up to you for everything, and tell you the whole story, and
your days that will follow will be more beautiful, so let your days pass now
and wear your prettiest clothes, run and then run again in the gardens of your
long life, go forward and forward for nothing is behind you but the past, and
this is your voice I hear all the time as a melody of freedom”.

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Lamar, I'm
sorry all I can do is to write these few worlds that do not relieve my
conscience, actually! I'm torn before too much injustice !!